FORT MCMURRAY — A prominent Alberta First Nations chief who was the subject of a violent arrest says he’s overwhelmed after the charges against him were dropped.
Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation says he and his wife knew he didn’t do anything wrong to be charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer.
His case was in front of a Fort McMurray provincial court judge Wednesday, where the Crown withdrew the charges.
The move came after RCMP dash-cam footage of Adam’s arrest was made public earlier this month as part of a court application to stay the charges.
The 12-minute video shows Adam, who was stopped for an expired plate, walking back and forth between his truck and a RCMP cruiser, shouting profanities at an officer.
Another Mountie then charges at Adam, tackling him to the ground and punching him in the head.
The RCMP initially stated that the officers’ actions were reasonable, while the province’s police watchdog has since said it is investigating the arrest.